A day or two after news of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill broke, I spotted beautiful, wild-caught Gulf shrimp on sale at my neighborhood grocery store—fat, never frozen, $5.99/lb. I bought 5 pounds, suspecting that it would be a while before I saw such beautiful Gulf seafood at such an amazing price again. Little did I know, right?

I really have no idea how to respond to something like this. Clearly, I take for granted that, in our world of obscenely rapid technological advancement, we should be able to solve this problem. How is it that we don’t know how to fix it? And what is it that I should be doing, other than feeling really, really depressed and making donations to help the humans and wildlife affected by the spill?

There’s no neat little conclusion to this post, just that all of this damn oil is, among other things, another notch in my mental belt of wondering what the proper balance is between apathy and obsession. How much time should I spend in my, let’s face it, really comfortable life, thinking about all of the shitty things happening all over the world at any given moment? And is there some hierarchy of disaster, things I should care about more than others? And where does all of my care and concern go, if I do choose to exert it?

Choosing our positions along these blurry lines is a matter of personal ethics and conscience, and I like to think that thinking rigorously through my positions is at least worth something. Part of my job as a teacher is getting my students to care about something other than themselves, and convincing them that by engaging with the world, they alter it. But sometimes I wonder if I’m not just setting them up for disappointment.

Last weekend, I thawed half of the shrimp I had purchased in April and cooked them simply, with traditional Indian spices and over high heat until they pinked and firmed. My house was pleasantly swollen with friends and loved ones, who fought over the last shrimp and left the tails scattered in shallow bowls. Maybe, at times, that’s the best we can do, and that’s not so bad.

MUSTARD-SEED SHRIMP WITH CUCUMBER RAITA

We ate these straight-up, with raita drizzled on top or alongside as a dipping sauce, counterbalancing the heat of the shrimp perfectly. The dish didn’t seem to suffer for lack of a “vehicle,” but surely they would be delicious tucked into a pita, wrapped in some naan, or served atop some rice or couscous.

Swirl some oil into the pot, letting it heat until the oil shimmers (medium-high on the stove). Throw in the mustard seeds and turmeric, then immediately bring the lid down to cover the pot. There will be spluttering! Shake the pan and let it sit on the heat for a minute or two more, then remove from the heat.

Add the shrimp to the pot—all of them if they fit—then return to the burner. Using a large spoon, gently turn the shrimp regularly to ensure even cooking. Toss in the remaining spices, including a teaspoon of salt. After 3-4 minutes, turn the stove down to medium, letting the residual heat finish the shrimp.

Continue to turn the shrimp until they have all pinked and are just cooked. Remove immediately from the pot so they do not overcook. Taste for salt and serve warm.

CUCUMBER RAITA

You can also add a finely chopped Serrano pepper if you’d like a little fire in your raita.

Wow, this looks/sounds amazing, Nishta. I can see I’m going to have to up my use of cayenne pepper when I cook spicy dishes. I usually tell people 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (with me using the higher end of it), but you saying 1/2 to 1 teaspoon tells me I need to fire things up a bit.

Terry–thanks so much for the visit & the compliment! regarding the cayenne, I double-checked my notes and it turns out I was using about a pound more shrimp than I listed here, so 1 tsp. worked. I just made the correction, I appreciate you pointing it out.

I do have a group of friends who love their spice, though, so I don’t have to pull back from “authentic” heat levels!

A Little Yumminess–so glad to have you visit! hope you try & enjoy the shrimp.

Cookin’ Canuck–thanks for taking the time to comment. The shrimp + raita combination really worked well in the summer heat; in India, they always say to eat something spicy when it’s hot out, to make your body sweat so you’ll cool yourself down. not sure how scientific that is, but I often crave spice in the summertime.

Nishta – this is SO WEIRD because literally, like last night, as I was driving back from yoga with aloo ghobi in hand (every weds i pretend i’m a vegetarian), i was regretting my decision to not get raita (but it’s $5 and i’m trying to learn how to live on the cheap…sometimes). Apparently we are in psynch these days. Perhaps we can have a virtual dinner party some time 🙂

Live.Love.Eat–first of all, love the motto 🙂 and I’m so glad you found me. thank you for your kind words–I have many shrimp lovers in my life, which you’ll see reflected here! hope you’ll come back & visit again.

Vic–okay, that is pretty weird but in a wonderful way. & you’re meatless on Wednesdays? seems perfect to eat Indian food post-yoga, a kind of whole-body experience 🙂 and forget virtual, I’d love to cook for you sometime.

As the person who hopped up and dashed to the kitchen to get the last of the shrimp, I can guarantee everyone they will LOVE these. The reminder of this recipe makes me want to go out and find shrimp today.